High Mileage Lubricants Opinion

Hey guys my 02 Intrigue has over 133k on it as of today. I have been using Lucas Oil stabilizer along with Castrol GTX High Mileage 10W-30 oil since 60,000 miles. Do you think being in Florida I should opt for Castrol GTX 20W-50 and omit Lucas? Is it six one way and half a dozen the other? THX

I've never been a fan of oil additives, I think most of them are a waste of money. Plus I've read adding pure petroleum to your oil will dilute its additive package (makes sense) causing more problems than it's worth. So, I wouldn't bother with Lucas.

Why are you running high mileage oil? Is your engine consuming a lot?

I've never been a fan of oil additives, I think most of them are a waste of money. Plus I've read adding pure petroleum to your oil will dilute its additive package (makes sense) causing more problems than it's worth. So, I wouldn't bother with Lucas.

Why are you running high mileage oil? Is your engine consuming a lot?

I am just being proactive since my motor has high miles now (133K) and want it to last 300K. Castrol GTX 10W-30 vs 20W-50

20w50 is probably too heavy of an oil....I cant see any reason to stray away from a good quality 30 weight oil. Make it synthetic and your engine will last forever. i have 190k miles on mine...runs excellent, i use whatever synthetic oil is on sale, avoiding no name "house" brands....despite popular belief, synthetic oil does not cause problems with leaking in higher mileage engines. seeing as summer is approaching, you could step up to a 10w40.... 15w40 or 20w40 is the same as 10w40 just with a bit better cold start protection (W standing for "winter")...

also, ditch the additives, i dont like them ive seen them cause many problems. most are probaby fine, i just dont beleive they help

I figured id go ahead and post some quotes i found on the web @ http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm



Oil Viscosity
The viscosity of multi-weight motor oil is specified using two numbers. The first number is the viscosity when the oil is cold. This is followed by the letter W (which stands for winter, not weight), which is followed by the number that indicates the viscosity when the oil is at operating temperature. The higher the number the thicker the oil.


Viscosity Modifiers
In order to protect an engine at start time, the oil needs to be thinner when cold so it flows freely. Viscosity modifiers are added to the base stock to make the oil flow better when cold, without making the oil too thin when hot.


Climate Considerations
Owner's manuals and service manuals will specify the acceptable oil to use at various temperatures. In warm climates, 10W30 is usually an acceptable alternative to the preferred 5W30 and may be used without measurable adverse effects. In the olden days, before multi-weight oils, it was common to have a winter oil and a summer oil. This is no longer necessary, but if you normally use 10W30 because you live in a warm climate then be sure to switch to 5W30 if you plan on using the vehicle in very cold weather.


5W30 versus 10W30
Virtually all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. use either 5W30 or 10W30 oil. The difference between the two is that the 5W30 flows better when cold, so if you live in a cold climate or operate your vehicle in a cold climate during the winter months, you should use 5W30 if it is the preferred oil for your vehicle. If you live in a sub-tropical climate and don't operate your vehicle in cold climates, then 10W30 is acceptable as long as the manufacturer specifies that it is permissible to use it.


Is there a disadvantage to using an oil that flows better when cold, i.e. 5W30 versus 10W30?
Sometimes, but usually not. The crux of the issue is this: the bigger the difference between the cold oil viscosity and the hot oil viscosity, the more the volume of viscosity modifiers and the less the volume of base stock. If you are good about following the manufacturer's recommended oil change interval then stick with the 5W30 if that is the preferred oil for your vehicle, even if 10W30 is acceptable in warmer climates. Older cars may specify 10W30 only. This is because they need a little more viscosity when cold to keep a protective film on the cylinder walls. There have been instances where the larger amount of viscosity modifiers that are present in 5W30 have broken down due to excessive heat and have left carbon deposits on the valves, but this is extremely rare. The proper fix would be to reduce the excessive heat, but the workaround was to use an oil with less viscosity modifiers.


Thicker is Better Myth
The reason that oil viscosities have gotten thinner is because bearing clearances have become smaller. Using thicker oils will interfere with oil flow and the oil pressure will increase. In a worn engine it may be okay to increase the viscosity of the oil because the bearing clearances have become larger.



Oil Additives
Do not use any oil additives no matter how much they are hyped on TV. They provide no benefit and can interfere and react with the additives already present in the oil. Some additives have particles that can clog oil passages and clog filters. Common additives that are heavily hyped are Slick 50, Duralube, and Prolong.


that covers alot of information, check the website for even more good reading about motor oil.

I would stay with the 5w30 for the Lx5. If your engine is getting loose and burning oil try a straight 5-10w synthetic. 20w is to thick for the oil passages on the Lx5.

I run Mobile 1, but the Walmart synthetic maybe worth a try. Valvoline and others now also.

I run Mobile 1.

Me too. :cool:

I have 170k miles on my 2000 Intrigue GL. It burns a quart of oil every 1000-1500 miles. Tried various oil additives and nothing really helped. I buy the 5 qt. jug of Walmart oil (5W30) and keep it in the trunk for when the oil light comes on. I've come to accept the burning oil as a feature of the car. :tongue:

I still avg. 23-27 mpg. In colder weather and more city driving, It's closer to 23 mpg. In summer with less city driving, it's closer to 27. I have achieved 29 mpg on a few occasions with interstate driving.

Wow, that's quite a bit of oil. You sure you don't have a leaky oil pan or valve cover?

Although, at 170,000 miles I suppose that could be normal...

It may be longer Tobey. I don't really keep accurate records for it like I do my gas mileage. My daily commute is 34 miles each way but I'm not in the office every day. The days i travel, I rent cars.

If I had purchased this car new, I would have shot it a long time ago. but I bought it for a song.... well a song and dance back in early 2004 after a good friend of mine couldn't sell it.

It's been good to me but extremely frustrating at times. This is my first experience with a car that burns oil so much.

I have 250,000 miles on my Intrigue and I burn/use 1 qt of oil every 1200 miles its been like that for the last 150,000 + miles, It only smokes at start up a little puff not much, as far as leaking oil I'm sure it does, but my drive way is pretty much clean, I can however smell oil inside the car if I start it up and let it set running with the heat on, this just started this winter it might be time to look for a new one :shakehead I'll sure miss it. By the way I buy a gallon of 10w 40 Castrol oil from Autozone and stick it in the trunk and just add when needed. Oh and I have never used any oil additive or "special oil" in the car never seemed worth the money

the 3.5 is known to burn quite a bit of oil compared to most engines, but I assure you its perfectly normal for this engines design. Run a good quality synthetic oil 5w30 in the cooler season and 10w30 for the summer, people like myself north of Toronto can also use 5w30 without problems but any extreme northern climate like any of the mid/northern provinces even some states in the winter should look into 0w30 for the cold start protection. synthetic likes to cling to the metal components of the engine which makes for improved cold start protection, unlike regular oil which runs off of metal parts and drains into the oil pan within a few hours....